What can you gain from playing rec sports? How about a job? In Washington D.C.? Working
for the President of the United States?Imagine that you love playing basketball, and are fairly
good at it. These games aren't scheduled regularly, but when they are played, there are
more than a few players whose names grace the pages of the newspapers.Some run major
corporations, some are successful in the non-profit world, some have household names like Michael Jordan,
and some have strange names like Barack Obama.In case you are unaware, I am describing
what may have contributed to Arne Duncan being appointed Secretary of Education by President Obama.Duncan
has always been a big fan of basketball. In some cases you can meet someone
who will help you attain something you might not have been able to attain otherwise.
Your senior year your teammates name you co-captain and in the highest profile game of
your collegiate career you score 20 points against a nationally ranked team.You end up playing
professionally in Australia for a couple Zapatillas Puma of years, but are not a standout Down Under.When
your basketball career is over you return to your home town and get a "real
job," but your passion for the game doesn't wane.Because of your love, you continue to
play pick-up games with some of the guys you have met through your job. You
go to college and are good enough to play on the varsity team. Growing up,
Duncan would accompany his mother to her children's center that catered to African-American youth on
the South side of Chicago. He would play pick-up games with the other kids and
got good enough to make the basketball team when he enrolled at Harvard.After graduating magna
cum laude, Duncan spent 4 years playing professionally before returning to Chicago to pursue a
career in education.Because of his high profile jobs, he ultimately met many of Chicago's most
famous people and started playing hoops with them whenever there was free time amongst all
the busy schedules.One of the guys he regularly played against was President tn Obama, then a
state senator from Illinois. After school as a child, you go to your mom's work
and play pick up games with other children in the neighborhood. Every time Obama was
up for office, the group would vote and then convene at a local gym to
get their minds off the day's goings-ons.This continued even through Obama's recent election in November,
when Duncan joined other players to help Obama sweat out some nerves.After the election results
came in and Obama had the tough choice of selecting a cabinet, his mind didn't
stray far from the hardwood; and on January 20, 2009, once Obama was sworn into
office, his good friend on and off the court, assumed the position of Secretary of
Education.Now it is not everyone who knows people of such power, or who desire to
be in a life of politics, but there is a lesson we can all learn
from Duncan's story: there are more than just health benefits to participating in rec sports.
As Obama rose in the political spectrum, Duncan rose in the world of education, and
in 2001 he was appointed CEO of Chicago Public Schools.But even as their schedules got
busier and busier, Obama, Duncan and several others still found time to get in a
few games of roundball each year.Playing basketball became an Election Day tradition for Obama, Duncan
and the others. Likewise, there may be someone you play with or against that you
might be able to help down the road.So next time you throw on your jersey
or lace up your shoes, think about Arne Duncan and the possibilities the position he
is in because of rec sports.Keep sporting!Evan Pfaff is co-owner of Who's In First.Who's In
First is an online league management system for leagues of all sizes and sports. Our
state-of-the-art software enables league managers the ability to quickly create and deploy schedules and standings
over the Internet.Visit Who's In First, http://www.whosinfirst.com, today for a free demonstration and to learn
why Who's In First is the best choice for your league..
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